Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-03-11
THE BRITISH TRAMP STEAMER.
An Old Sea Captain Tells what He
Knows About the Graft.

KNOWS About the Graft.
"The majority of 'tramps' are built on
the share plan. said an old sea captain;
''that is TO say that any individual or
firm able to get together a sufficient num-
Der of subscribers to the necessary CAPT
tai in from fj to $50 shares organizes a
company, securing for the trouble the
sole management of the vessel and hand
ling all the earnings. charging commits
sion to the shareholders for managing the
ship, and in many instances themselves
not owning a single share. They are
satisfied with the commissions, which are
| first deducted from the gross freight
| earned. Whether the vessel makes
money for the shareholders or not the
agent is always secure, aud takes care to
indemnify himself in all cases.
"A registry of these vessels is published
annually, and character assigned if paid
for which may or may not truly set forth
the real character or condition of the
vessel. That this certificate of good char
acter is not always to be relied upon is
not by any means the fault of the staff of
surveyors but can be traced to the ras-
cality of builders who. having taken the
contract perhaps ruinously low, are
/
spector an inferior quality of metal, light
frames, insufficient or defective riveting,
or poor workmanship throughout. Or,
granted that the builder has faithfully
performed his duty, and that the vessel
has left the yard in a practically perfect
condition, it is after she has passed into
the control of the managing owner that
her unseaworthiness surely commences.
The ship, now ready for business, is
chartered. for example, to load cargo
of coal, and without any previous knowl-
edge except the somewhat Theoretical!
knowledge, perhaps, Of the builder) as to
how the vessel may perform, she is loaded
as deeply as even the greed of the owners
can exact and started on her voyage. Jack,
who comes ON board only after the ship
is loaded, and sees the dangerous manner
in which she is to be sent to sea, can but
shake his head, for the vessel is only down
to the PlimsOll mark, and the board of
trade surveyors will not in that case stop
the ship and compel her to be lightened.
"The Plimsoll mark is mark which
is painted on the side of vessel at her
lowest point of sheer. and is supposed to
: denote the depth to which she may with
this mark and the deck line measured
on the side of the ship is called the free
board. and by an act of parliament this
freeboard, expressed in feet and inches,
must be entered upon the articles OF
agreement between the owners and crew
} copy of which must be always hung uI
p in the forecastle. Now, there is no law
that fixes the rule where this mark shall
be. but it is left to the owner to put il
where he chooses. He may, therefore
. give the ship as little or as much free
, board as he sees fit 1t is needless to say
that the universal rule is as little as pos
+ sible.
We'll. Jack being on board, the shiT
proceeds on her voyage, overloaded ant
shorthanded in many instances. Bac
\ weather is encountered: the ship. bein,
= too deeply laden. cannot rise to the sea
= but wallows along through it, to the peri
of the deck fittings and the men oblige,
+ to be on the deck. The machinery bein,
q new, there is not much danger of bein!
q disabled unless the gale increases to hur
ricane force. in which case, if the shil
t survives. she is sure to come out of tn,
/, encounter minus some Of her boats
houses, bridges, ETC., and perhaps badl,
e strained in the hull
n The vessel having arrived at her DIES
o tination is quickly discharged and loaded
= the process being carried on night ant
n day. and without any thought of repair
y ing damages, except those absolutel,
a necessary. Should any of the boats hav
= been lost they will not be replaced unit
a she arrives at a home port. Should an,
| of her sails be blown away they will Ger
v tainly not be replaced. but the yards will
: be sent ashore, and the vessel reduced t,
her fore and aft rig only. thus economic
e ing in spars, rigging and sails, and de
priving the sailor of his last chance 70
l. life in case of mshap to machinery dur
= ing heavy gale, Or in the event of thu
/ ships losing her propeller. As the tram
steamers are now being rapidly reduced
: in their sail power it is found possible t,
man them with TWO hands less in tn
. crew. so that vessel of 5000 tons deaC
,r weight capacity frequently carries onl'
, six men before the mast, and of these i
is safe to say that only two of the numbe
l. are fit To be trusted at the wheel or OF
the lookout.
If LAS long as vessel and outfit are com
h paratively new she may live through
h many storm, bat when the outfit i
worn out it is replaced, if at ALL in tn
II cheapest possible manner and as regard
q repairs to hull, engines and boilers, the,
II are only made when there is absolutel,
= no other way to get the vessel to sea, ant
:. what may then happen concerns tn
, owner to very slight degree New
20 York Times.